Settings: Mechanus (The Chase)

The Chase is structured in three two-episode segments. First, there is the section on Aridius, then a couple of largely comedic episodes based on the chase itself, and then a final show-down with the Daleks. Thus, while this post will largely focus on that finale, it will also cover the “spooky” comedy of episode four.

When I started this series, I stated that updates would be very irregular. It hasn’t turned out that way, but the time has now come when my schedule requires me to take a break and concluding with a serial that feels like a season finale (even if it isn’t one) is as good a place as any. I have every intention of returning in the new year and moving on to season three, but the dates are uncertain. 

Where & When

The closing segment of the story is set on the planet Mechanus, close to, or just beyond, the edge of human-inhabited space. There is no indication of the date in the story, and the tie-in media have come up with various interpretations ranging from the 22nd to the 36th century. The more popular assumption, however, seems to be that it’s in the mid-third millennium, somewhere between the settings of The Dalek Invasion of Earth and The Rescue. This is the sort of question that would have to be answered in a game (since we do interact with people from Earth) but here, I’ll just note that various options exist.

Settings: Aridius (The Chase)

Although, at six parts, The Chase is not exceptionally long for its era, it does visit more than the usual number of settings. The third of the Dalek stories, it’s generally not as well regarded as the other two, scoring middling to low with many older fans. But, as so often, there is disagreement here, with many finding it one of the more entertaining Hartnell stories, not least because of its scope – plus, it has to be said, a particularly good final sequence after the Dalek defeat. Either way, the fact that it visits two distinct alien worlds and multiple points in Earth’s history gives plenty to build on. 

As with An Unearthly Child, the differing settings means that my coverage of this story will be split into two posts. This one covers the first three episodes, focussing on the alien world where it all starts off.

Settings: The Space Museum on Xeros

With the next story, we are off to an alien planet again, albeit one inhabited by a race virtually indistinguishable from humans – if, indeed, they’re supposed to be distinct at all. The opening episode, which plays with the concept of time, is reasonably popular, but what follows drags the whole down for most fans. But, as usual, that isn’t a universal opinion. Unlike, say, The Sensorites, very few people seem to really like this, but a significant minority regard it as middling rather than weak. The problem, as so often in this era, is usually cited as being the slow pacing, with some claiming that Vicki only starts the revolution because she’s bored by the plot up to that point. The setting is also, perhaps, less memorable than the likes of Marinus or Vortis… but let’s see what we can do with it.

Where & When

The story is set on the planet Xeros, within the interstellar Morok Empire. No date is given for the story, but it clearly takes place later than The Dalek Invasion of Earth because of the design of the Dalek seen in the museum. Although it’s not obvious that the Moroks are also specifically aware of humans, we can at least say that the story is not set so far ahead that the exhibit has obviously degraded. This probably places it a few centuries into our future and, fitting with this, the tie-in media have tended to select dates towards the end of the third millennium. 

Settings: The Third Crusade

Next, we reach another pure historical episode, and it’s one in the style of the first-season historicals rather than the more light-hearted tone of The Romans. It’s the only story of its season not to wholly survive in its original form, with only the first and third episodes available. Nonetheless, and despite lacking science fiction elements, it’s comparatively well-known for a ‘missing’ story, probably because it’s quite early in the run and it’s at least possible to watch half of it. It’s generally regarded as unremarkable, neither particularly good nor particularly bad. To modern eyes, the use of brownface for most of the Middle Eastern characters is a drawback, but it’s not one that applies if we use it as a game setting.

Where & When

The story is set in 1191 in and around the port city of Jaffa. It is based, albeit loosely, around a real historical event that occurred in autumn of that year. Since the details are changed, and the timeline greatly compressed, it’s difficult to narrow down an exact date, but we’re likely in either October or November. Shorter than the previous historicals, the story takes place over the course of just two days.

Settings: Vortis, the Web Planet

The second-season serial The Web Planet is famous – or perhaps, infamous – for featuring no humanoid characters at all beyond the regular cast. The result, especially given the budget and the special effects technology of the day is, to put it mildly, really quite strange. An overly long, slow, plot doesn’t help matters and while some fans praise it for its sheer audacity, most are negative, and it’s not unusual to see it listed as the weakest of all the Hartnell stories. Yet it is at least memorable and, if we can fix the pacing, a low special effects budget isn’t a problem in a tabletop game.

Where & When

The story is set on the planet Vortis, which is specifically stated to be in a galaxy beyond our own. In the final episode, the Animus talks about humans as if it knows what they are, and where they come from, which implies a far future setting when humanity has at least reached beyond our own galaxy. However, there is no way to be more precise than this, and it’s also possible from the context that it has only recently gained this information from its prisoners (it’s trying to read their minds at the time) so we can’t even be confident of that much. Not that it’s likely to matter in most games.

Settings: First Century Rome

We are overdue for a historical by this point, so it’s no surprise that the fourth story of the second season fits that description. Unlike the previous historicals, however, this one is a comedy and fan reactions tend to depend on whether or not they find that it works as such. In game terms, however, there is enough present that it’s possible to play it mostly straight and try to let the humour follow naturally, rather than forcing it.

Where & When

As with The Reign of Terror, the story includes a real-world historical event, making it possible to date it precisely. The bulk of the story runs from 10th to the 18th July in the year AD 64, although the characters have been in Italy for “four or five weeks” when it starts, and there is a gap of a few days at the end before they leave. Most of the action takes place in Rome, although there are some scenes set in other nearby parts of Italy.

Settings: Dido (The Rescue)

The Rescue is a brief story that functions primarily as the introduction to a new companion and arguably doesn’t do much more when taken in isolation. As a result, it’s generally regarded as a middling episode, neither especially weak nor particularly praised, although some reviewers don’t appreciate the minimal nature of the plot – or, perhaps, the basic joke about classic Doctor Who aliens all looking like men in cheap rubber costumes. On the other hand, it was originally proposed as a story in its own right, and, even if it’s slight, it can still work as a scenario outside of the ‘introduction’ theme.

Where & When

The story is set in the year 2493… or at least, that’s when Vicki says she left Earth, and it’s hard to imagine that more than a few months have passed since. It takes place on the planet Dido, a world that is within the bounds of human space at the time, but that the authorities on Earth have never bothered to explore.